Not Broken, Just Bent
by MrsNormanReedus2013
Summary: He left 3 years ago. She hasn't seen or heard from him since. She's moved on. There are two men in her life whose lives will also be affected by his return. Will she turn their lives upside down and give him another chance? Are they truely broken, or just bent? Daryl Dixon/OC/AU
1. You're Mine Now

**A/N: I started a story a long time ago but got writer's block bad...so I started this one. No zombies here, sorry. I don't want to kill off characters. Feedback and ratings are very much appreciated. Here we go...**

I fell in love with Daryl Dixon when I was 16 years old, he was 21. Of course I didn't catch his attention until I turned 18. This was due to the 5 year age gap. We had known each other since I was real young, my family moved into a farm house not far from the Dixon's cabin. Much to my pleasure my father hired him on to help out around the farm when I was 17. I would catch him looking at me every once in a while, but he would never touch me. He knew my father would fire him if he did. I was underage after all.

My older sister, Lori, would tease me constantly about my crush. But I didn't care, as far as I was concerned it wasn't a crush, it was love. It didn't matter to me that he hadn't shown the slightest interest in me other than just the normal niceties and maybe the occasional stare an older man would show a young woman. When he was working, he wouldn't get all flustered and annoyed with me when I was right there watching him work, too close for comfort sometimes I'm sure, but he never complained.

One day, my best friend Amy was visiting to meet my new nephew, Carl. We were sitting on the porch ogling over him while Lori and Rick were inside talking to my parents. "I can't wait to have a baby," I said. "Yeah, with Daryl," Amy teased. "Shut up!" I whispered and playfully punched her in the arm. "Speak of the devil," Amy said. I looked up in the direction she was glancing and saw him walking off in the direction of the woods, in the center of which was our pond.

"Go ahead Oz, go get your man, Andrea will be here to pick me up shortly anyway," Amy urged. "What about Carl?" I asked. "I'll take him in to your sister and tell them you wanted to go for a swim with Daryl," she said. "They won't mind. They like Daryl, besides, you're 18 now." So, I went after him, not even bothering to go get my bathing suit. I caught sight of him after about 10 minutes. He was already in his boxers about to jump off the dock into the small pond.

I quickly stripped into my white lacy bra and panties, thankful that they matched. I somehow managed to sneak into the pond just as Daryl was emerging on the other side of the water. I swam over to him underwater and grabbed him around his waist. He must have seen my clothes up on the bank because he didn't freak out. He reached down and pulled me up by my waist and hauled me out of the water and before I knew it I was flying and all too soon splashing right back down into it.

_He just threw me, _I thought. I looked around and didn't see him. I prepared myself for the worst bracing for the scare I just knew was coming. But it didn't. Instead I felt a pair of strong arms wrap around me from behind. I instantly leaned back in to his well-tanned, scarred chest. I had seen the scars on his body before, but we have never talked about them. For some reason I couldn't wait to rub my hands over them. I quickly turned around and stared up into his deep, icy-blue eyes.

That is when it happened, for the very first time, exactly nine days after my 18th birthday. He released my waist and took my face in his hands and he kissed me. I had never kissed a boy before, let alone a man. It sure seemed like he had practice at this. It felt amazing, as if all the love I felt for him was forced into that one kiss. The most amazing thing is I felt it coming back from him. As if he loved me as much as I loved him. At this point I would've done anything he asked me too.

I wrapped my legs around his waist and he lowered his arms to lift me up by my ass. I thought I was going to pass out. He carried me over to the bank and gently laid me down on the grass, still between my legs. We were still kissing and it wasn't long before he ran his tongue along my bottom lip, requesting access. I instantly parted my lips, granting him entrance.

He had his arms on either side of my head, holding himself up over me. We kissed awhile longer like that, but then I was ready for more. I pulled on his arm gently and he shifted his weight over to one arm. I brought his warm hand down and placed it on my breast. That seemed to be the extra push he needed to take it further because he instantly made a sort of growling noise and began grinding on me between my legs. I took this opportunity to rub my hands up and down his scarred chest.

I could feel him growing harder against my inner thigh. I pushed him off of me and sat up. He gave me a confused look as I reached behind me and unclasped my bra, freeing my breasts. He lunged for me and I slid my hands down to the waist band of his boxers and pulled them down. I gasped as I glanced down at his throbbing member. He took his time kissing me all over. Finally, he helped me wiggle out of my panties.

He stopped kissing me and looked into my eyes. "Are you sure you wanna do this?" he asked. "I'm sure, I love you Daryl." I replied. "I love you too Osten, I have for a long time," he said. He took his time sliding into me, it was pretty painful. After a few minutes he asked, "Are you OK?" "It hurts, but I'm fine. Don't stop," I replied. It didn't last very long, about 10 minutes maybe. It felt like an eternity though, as soon as it began to feel good, it was over. But, I wasn't going to complain because I knew it would get better over time.

When he finished he rolled over and lay beside me. "That was amazing Oz," Daryl said. "It was," I replied. I could have lain there forever, but I knew dinner would be ready soon. "I have to go back up to the house. Dinner will probably be ready," I said as I hurriedly put my clothes back on. "Ok Ozzy. I'll see you later," Daryl replied and kissed my cheek when he was finished dressing himself. I took off toward my house as soon as I had my shoes tied. "Hey, Osten, wait up!" Daryl yelled behind me. I slowed down and turned around to face him. "Yeah?" I asked. "You're mine now, you know that right?" he asked. "Of course, and I couldn't be happier about it!" I replied. I had a smile on my face for the rest of that day and had the best sleep of my life that night.


	2. Ya Filthy Whore

**A/N: Here's Chapter 2. Feedback and ratings are appreciated as always :)**

**4 Years Later**

"Oh come on baby, you know you want some!" Daryl coaxed me. "Fine, but only one," I replied. Ever since I had turned 21 damn near a year ago he had been trying to get me to drink with him. I had finally decided to give in. We were in his bedroom in his dad's cabin. Amy thought it was lame that he still lived with his dad at 26, but I knew he was saving up his money to move out, he wanted some saved up in case something happened. He had been planning on moving in about 3 months, when I was going to transfer colleges and move out of my parents' house.

I took the shot glass full of Southern Comfort and tilted my head back while holding my nose. I swallowed it fast. "Oh my God, Daryl, that was disgusting!" I said. "After a few more, you won't even taste it anymore Ozzy," he said. "No way, I'm not drinking anymore of that stuff baby," I said. But, with a little more convincing, I found myself four more shots in and I was more than feeling it. "Ohmigosh baby I cannot go home like this," I said. "So stay here with me then," Daryl said, scooting closer to me on the bed. "OK, ifyouinsist," I blabbered. Before I knew it he had pushed me onto my back and was lying on top of me.

He started kissing my neck and nibbling on my ear, God it felt so good. I entwined my fingers into his hair and he leaned back onto his knees, lifting me up into a sitting position. He reached down and lifted my shirt up and over my head. I busied myself with unbuttoning his flannel shirt and pushed it down off of his muscular arms. He then reached around my back and unclasped my pink lacy bra. He took my left breast in his hand and massaged it as he deepened the kiss.

He pulled away and got off the bed, undoing his belt at the same time. He pulled his pants down and I didn't shy away as I stared at his hard dick. I quickly wriggled out of my yoga pants. "No panties, huh? How naughty Ozzy!" he said. I blushed and he removed his boxers and jumped back into bed beside me. I took his dick into my hand and started stroking it as he slipped his hand between my legs. He slid two fingers in and began working his magic. We continued touching each other until we couldn't stand it any longer.

"Please Daryl, now, I need you," I pleaded. That was all he needed to hear. He put his knee between my legs and nudged them apart, lowering himself between them. I braced myself for his entrance as he teased me by rubbing the tip of his dick on the outside of my slit. "Now Daryl! I'm not asking, I'm telling," I urged. He thrust himself in, hard and fast. Jesus, you haven't felt pleasure until you have had Daryl Dixon pumping away inside of you like there's no tomorrow. Suddenly, he pulled out and somehow managed to roll me over so he could take me from behind.

I don't think he has ever fucked me so hard in all of our four year relationship. It was as if he was never going to get the chance again. I could feel the pressure building inside me, from the top of my head to the tips of my toes. All too soon he thrust one last time as our orgasms caused us to collapse under their weight. He rolled over beside me and I rolled over to face him. "God I love you so much Osten Grimes," he said and kissed the tip of my nose. "And I love you so much too, Daryl Dixon," I replied, returning his act of affection.

That was when I heard the front door slam. "Where the fuck are ya Daryl? Get your ass out here and get whats comin to ya boy!" his father yelled through the house. "Shit, Ozzy get dressed and get out the window," Daryl urged me, literally pushing me out of the bed. I barely had my shoes on before his bedroom door slammed open. "Oh, I see. You were too busy in here fuckin that slut to mow the grass, huh?" his father yelled. He stomped across the room and reached us in just three strides. Whomp! His father slapped me across the face. "Ya filthy whore!" he screamed, I could smell the alcohol on his breath.

Before I had time to get out of the way Daryl had jumped on him, taking his father to the ground, punching him in his face. "Don't ever talk to her like that again! I love her!" he screamed. By this time I was on my way out the door. I ran through his small cabin and out the front door. I stopped to catch my breath and collect my thoughts. I heard the sound of glass breaking and a loud yell of pain from Daryl.

I couldn't just run home, I had to know that he was OK. So, I turned and ran back into the small cabin. Just as I was about to go into his room a pair of big, strong arms grabbed me around my waist and pulled me into the room adjacent to Daryl's. Before I could scream a sweaty hand covered my mouth. I turned around quickly and looked up into the eyes of Daryl's big brother, Merle.

"Shh, its OK, I ain't gonna hurt ya," he whispered. Slowly, he removed his hand, at this point I was literally sobbing. "I wouldn't go in there if I was you. You need to run on home. I'll take care of this. I won't let the old man hurt him too bad." He said. "But I heard glass breaking! What if he's in there bleedin to death!" I cried. "I'll clean him up, old man prolly juss hit him with a bottle." Merle whispered.

"Get outta my house, you filthy good-fer-nuthin piece of shit! If I ever see your or your little whore's face again I kill ya both dead!" Daryl and Merle's father yelled. Then I saw Daryl take off out of his room, holding his side. He didn't even notice me standing in the other room. "Uh, plan B, wriggle your *-pretty little self out my window over there and get yerself home fast!" Merle said, pushing me towards it. I had just landed outside of it when I heard their father enter Merle's room and start in on him.

I was so scared I ran all the way home, completely forgetting to go and check on Daryl. When I got to my house I stopped running and fixed my hair as best as I could to hopefully hide the bruise I knew was forming where Daryl's father had hit me. As calmly as I could I walked up the front steps of my house and through the front door. I walked straight to the stairs and went straight up to my room. I shut my door and lay down on my bed and cried myself to sleep.

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	3. It's Just Stress

**A/N: Very short chapter, but necessary :) FB appreciated :)**

**2 Months Later**

I hadn't heard or seen Daryl since that night. I had seen Merle, but when I tried to talk to him about Daryl he just shrugged me off. I gave up. I felt like my heart had been ripped out and stomped on. I had been waking up sick every morning for the last two weeks. To sum it up, I was a complete mess.

I was lying in bed one night and I realized I hadn't had a period in like two months. _It's just stress._ I thought, but, just to be safe I drove to the drugstore the next morning to pick up a pregnancy test. When I got home I ran up to my room and sat on my bed. I opened the box and pulled out the directions. It said it was best to take the test first thing in the morning, so I put it in my bedside table and tried not to think about it for the rest of the day.

The next morning I quickly grabbed the test and ran into the bathroom that was connected to my bedroom. I peed on the stick like the directions said and put the cap back on. I sat it on the sink and went and got dressed real quick. When I went back into the bathroom I sort of snuck up on the sink like the test was going to bite me or something. I stole a quick glance at the test and burst into tears. I slid down in front of the sink and just stared at the little plus sign. I was pregnant with Daryl Dixon's baby and I had no idea where he was.


	4. See Somethin Ya Like Officer?

**3 Years Later**

"Are you sure you don't mind watchin him for me Ames?" I asked my best friend as I walked toward our front door to answer whoever was knocking on it. "Well I'm deff not gonna make ya take him with ya. That wouldn't be a very fun date would it?" she replied. I opened the front door to find a very handsome man smiling at me like it was Christmas morning.

"Wow, Osten, you look amazing." The man stepped in and shut the door behind him. He then took my hand and spun me around so he could take in the whole view. "Absolutely amazing. How did I get so lucky?" Amy snickered from the couch and mumbled something incoherent to my son. "So, Shane, where we headed to tonight again? That fancy restaurant over on Main, right?" I asked, trying to change the subject. "Yeah, Gino's, it's an Italian joint. I know how much you like pasta Oz." Shane replied.

"You know me so well Shane," I giggled. Shane went over and sat down next to Amy on the couch so he could see Malaki. Amy handed him over and Shane baby talked him and asked him if he knew how pretty his momma was and how lucky he was to have her. "Of course he knows Shane, you remind him every time you see him." I laughed. Shane and I had been dating since Malaki was only a few months old. Daryl had been gone for a little over 3 years. My son was now nearly 2 1/2 years old.

I had run into Merle when I was about 7 months pregnant and he had smirked at me. "Moved on fast there dint ya hunny?" he had sneered. I ignored him and let him think what he wanted. He hadn't made any attempt to keep in contact or let me know how Daryl was or anything. Screw him. I hadn't seen him since then. Shortly before Malaki was born Amy and I had moved into a nice 4 bedroom house just down the road from Lori and Rick.

I had finished my nursing classes and had luckily gotten hired at the local hospital in King County. Granted, I didn't start until after Malaki was born and I had waited about 2 months after that. My parents had paid my half of the rent until I started getting regular pay checks. Amy was also a nurse and had gotten hired on at the same time I had, only she got to start right away. I didn't continue my education to go into pediatric oncology as I had originally planned since I had become a single mom. However, I had been able to become a pediatric nurse in the maternity ward of the hospital. It was my dream job.

Shane had asked me out on a date when Malaki was right around 2 weeks old. I turned him down. I had too much going on in my life with a new baby and a new job to worry about trying to keep someone else happy, and I had told him so. He was persistent though, but not annoyingly so. Whenever Amy and I needed something done around the house or one of our cars fixed he was always right there with Rick. We had grown close despite the 10 year age difference and when Malaki was about 3 months old I asked him if the offer was still available.

Obviously, it was and we had been dating ever since. He was really good with Malaki and my son adored him. Shane was actually his fourth word, following momma, Amy, and no. Of course, Shane sounded more like 'Sane' when Malaki said it. I had no intention of making Malaki call Shane daddy and Shane had never brought it up. He knew all about the Daryl issue but we very rarely discussed it. He knew it upset me.

"Well, our reservations are for about 10 minutes from now Oz, we should get going." Shane gave Malaki a kiss on his forehead and the boy giggled, "Sane! Sane!" "You be good for your aunt Amy now, you hear me boy?" Shane said in a mocking authoritative tone. "He always is," Amy said as Shane handed me Malaki so I could give him my own goodbye kisses. "Amy, do you mind keeping Malaki overnight so Oz can stay at my place?" Shane asked. "I rented a couple movies for us to watch, we haven't had a slumber party in about a week." Amy and I both smirked at him. "I'm sure that is the only reason you want me to stay over Shane, to watch movies." I giggled. Amy agreed to keep Malaki for me and after I promised to be home by 10am so she could get ready to go in to work at 11am, (I was off on weekends) Shane and I departed.

We had an uneventful, but delicious dinner. When we arrived at Shane's gorgeous home (the employees at the Sheriff's Dept. made good money here in King County) he came around and opened my car door. As soon as I stepped out he scooped me up and carried me inside, bridal style. I laughed all the way to his bedroom, where he lay me down on his ginormous California king sized bed. "See, I knew ya wanted me to stay over for something other than watching movies," I giggled. He just laughed as he kicked off his shoes and crawled on top of me.

"Well, I didn't think you would appreciate me saying what I really wanted in front of your son," he stated as he kissed his way up my stomach, agonizingly slow to my neck, finally finding my lips. "Good thinkin, that probably woulda earned ya a swift kick in the ass Mr. Walsh." "I'd like to have seen you try little lady," he said as he sat up and removed his shirt. I playfully tickled his sides as he pulled me into a sitting position as well so he could remove my fancy tank top.

He growled deep in his belly when he saw my perky tits in my perfect fitting black bra. "See something you like officer?" I asked as I reached down and unbuckled his belt. "More like some_one_ I _love_," he said. "I love you too Shane," I purred as he removed his pants, followed quickly by my own. I had lain back down and he was standing beside the bed, taking in the view of me in nothing but my sexy undergarments.

"You know how much I love that bra and thong on you, you wore them on purpose, didn't you?" he drooled. "Only the best for you officer Walsh." I loved calling him officer when we were getting intimate, it was so dirty. "Now, are you gonna stand there all night or ya gonna get in this bed and rock my world?" "You don't have to ask twice Osten," he growled as he climbed his way back on top of me. After a few rounds of down and dirty love making and we had both found our release several times over we lie in bed and fell asleep, holding each other close.

I awoke the next morning to my alarm at 9am. I got out of bed and jumped in the shower. I was joined by Shane about 5 minutes after I got in. After we had gotten ourselves even dirtier we washed ourselves and got out. I dressed quickly after I realized I only had about 10 minutes to get home so Amy could get ready for work. Shane drove me home and kissed me goodbye before I got out of the car, he had to be to work at 11am as well. "Give Malaki a kiss for me please, and tell him I'll try to stop by tonight after my shift" Shane said and I nodded and got out of the car. I waved to him as I entered the house.

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	5. We're Goin Ta A Fwuneral!

I was greeted by Malaki as he ran (hes been walking since he was only 8 months old and talking since he was about 10 months, he's pretty much a genius) to me with his arms in the air. "Momma momma! Where Sane?" he asked as I whisked him into the air and gave him kisses. "Shane had to work, but he told me to give you a kiss for him. Maybe we'll see him tonight." "Oh, you didn't get enough of him last night then?" Amy asked playfully as she walked into the living room in her robe. She was about to get in the shower herself. "Oh I did, a couple times throughout the night, and again this morning," I teased as Amy backed out of the room with her fingers in her ears. "Too much info Oz, too much info."

I sat Malaki back down on the floor in front of his legos and sat on the couch. I picked up the paper and flipped through it when something caught my eye. The name Dixon stood out to me in the obituaries. My heart skipped a beat until I saw the first name, Michael. It was Daryl and Merle's daddy. I wondered if this meant Daryl would be coming back. I quickly shook the thought out of my head, he'd been gone for 2 years, why would he come back now? I skimmed through the obituary and saw that the funeral service would be held tomorrow afternoon in the cemetery across town.

I debated with myself internally for a while and then decided that I would go. He was Malaki's granddaddy after all. I was also hoping at least Merle would be there. I wanted to finally tell him he had a nephew, maybe if he could behave I'd allow him to meet Malaki. He deserved to have some of his daddy's family in his life, even if it wasn't his daddy himself.

When Amy got out of the shower I asked her if she worked tomorrow. "Yeah, I go in at 11am again. Why? What's up?" "Well, Daryl's daddy died and I'm goin to go. See if maybe Merle will be there," I replied. "You sure that's a good idea Oz? What if Daryl's there? And what you want with Merle?" Amy asked skeptically. "I doubt Daryl will be there, he hated his daddy. And I have been thinkin for a long while now that Merle deserves to know he has a nephew and Malaki deserves to have someone in his life from his daddy's side. That is if Merle can act right around him." "Well, Malaki's your son and I can't tell ya how ta raise him. But, I work tomorrow so I can't watch him."

"It's ok I'll just call Shane, or Lori," I said. Turns out, Shane had to work as well and Lori had something to do at Carl's school. She said she would take Malaki with her, but I knew taking him to a funeral would be easier than taking him to a school function. So, it was settled. I was going to the funeral and I was taking Malaki with me.

I awoke the next morning bright and early after a restless sleep filled with dreams of the last night I had spent with Daryl. I tip toed to Malaki's room and saw that he was still very much asleep, it was only about 8am and he usually slept till at least 9am. I took full advantage of that hour and took a long relaxing bubble bath. When I got out I wrapped myself in my robe and went to make Malaki breakfast. When the oatmeal was finished Malaki came out of his room, rubbing his eyes.

I moved his high chair into my room just outside of my bathroom door so I could keep an eye on him while I got ready. After straightening my long burgundy hair (it came to just above my ass, and it was a natural burgundy, a deep purpley red, absolutely beautiful) I applied a small amount of makeup, making sure I used my waterproof mascara, just in case. Malaki had finished his breakfast so I removed him from his high chair and took it back into the kitchen. I saw on the microwave it was 9:45am. I still had about 1 ½ hours before I had to get on the road, the funeral was about ½ hour away and I wanted to get there kind of early.

I put Malaki into the bath and let him play for a while. After I had washed him up and got him dressed I still had about 45 minutes to kill. "Malaki, do you want to go see Shane? Since you didn't get to see him last night?" I asked my son. "Yeah momma! I wan see Sane!" he yelled as he ran to the front door. I buckled him into his seat and headed for the Sheriff's department.

I grinned when I saw that his cruiser was parked in the lot. I parked and unloaded Malaki and we headed inside. Shane was seated at his desk and he was on the phone. He grinned when Malaki ran and jumped on him. He quickly excused himself from the phone call and scooped Malaki up and tickled him. "Your momma give you that kiss from me yesterday?" he asked. "Mmmhmm," Malaki answered, nodding his head. "Good momma," Shane said as he stood and placed a gentle kiss on my lips with Malaki still in his arms. I couldn't shake the feeling of how we looked so much like a family.

"We're goin ta a fwuneral Sane," Malaki told Shane. "Oh really? Whose?" Shane asked me with a questioning look in his eyes. "Um, Malaki, why don't you go over there and see your Uncle Rick baby." I said as I saw Rick come in and wave to us as he made his way over to his desk a little ways away from Shane's. I smiled and waved back. Once Malaki was settled over with Rick I turned my attention back to Shane. I wiped a single, small tear that had escaped my eye.

Shane wiped it away, "What's wrong love? Who is it that passed away?" he asked. "It's Daryl's daddy, Michael Dixon. I'm goin ta see if Merle is there. I want him to know about Malaki. He deserves to know he has a nephew." There went another tear. "Do you want me to go with you baby? What if Daryl is there?" Shane asked, wiping the other tear away. "He won't be Shane. I really don't think he will. He hated his daddy. I'll be fine on my own. But if I need you I promise I'll call." I assured him.

"Well I was just about to take an early lunch, would you and Malaki like to join me?" he asked. "Sure, let's go scoop up the little monster." After we had piled into Shane's jeep he asked Malaki where he wanted to go eat. "I want chicken nuggets!" my son replied. "From where honey?" I asked. "Ummmmm….Burger King!" "Burger King it is!" Shane replied. When we were finished eating and were back at the Sheriff's Department Malaki and I said our goodbyes and gave our kisses. "Good luck baby, I hope everything goes ok." Shane said. "Me too," I replied.

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	6. He's Yours Daryl

It was only ½ later when we pulled up to the small church. I immediately saw Merle's motorcycle parked in the lot, one of only 3 vehicles. "Momma, where are we?" Malaki asked sleepily from the backseat. I parked the car and got him out of the backseat. "We're here to meet your uncle Merle baby. He's your daddy's brother." I explained to my son. Even though Malaki had never met Daryl, I still had explained to him that his daddy had to leave before he was born and that he hadn't known about him. I knew he didn't understand. Someday, though, he would. I was never going to lie to my son about his daddy, or his daddy's family.

Malaki fell asleep on my shoulder before I made it to the front doors of the church. I stopped right outside before I went in and took a deep breath. _Here goes nothing,_ I thought. I pushed open the heavy doors and stepped inside. As soon as my eyes adjusted to the change in lighting I spied Merle sitting in the front row. He turned when he heard the door shut behind me. He looked surprised and I didn't blame him. He rose from his seat and headed back toward me.

"Well well well, look what the cat dragged in. And with her little runt too. Whose his daddy anyway?" he asked with his usual Merle tone. "His name is Malaki Daryl Dixon. And he's Daryl's," I told him. There really was no use beating around the bush. Now Merle looked very surprised. "Ya mean ta tell me my brother has a son and I have a nephew that neither of us knew bout? Why dint ya tell me sooner? I coulda told Daryl and he woulda came home before now. He wouldna waited till this asshole died," he stated pointing over his shoulder toward the casket. "Ya know thas why he dint come back right? Cos the threat that ol bastard made ta ya life," Merle continued, but I was still stuck on the part where he said Daryl would have come home before _now._

"Wait, Merle," I said interrupting him trying to excuse his brother's absence. "Did ya say Daryl woulda come back before _now_? As in he's back? Where is he?" I looked around the room wondering how I possibly could have missed him and why he hadn't come to see me. "He aint here yet darlin. On his way though. Said he couldn wait ta see yer perdy lil face again. I told him I saw ya pregnant a few years back and he said I musta been seein things. That ya wouldna moved on so fast. That ya loved im and would wait for im. Of course I dint think ya would. I mean why would ya? He left without a word to ya and hasn't talked ta ya since." Just as I was about to tell Merle I hadn't waited for him and I had a boyfriend and have had one for a little over 2 years when the door opened behind me.

"Well speak of the devil, if it aint lil Darylina herself." Merle cackled. "Wait till ya find out yer surprise baby brutha. Ya gonna love this!" With that Merle pushed past me and slapped his brother on his back and headed back toward his seat in the front of the church. I couldn't bring myself to turn around and face him. After a couple awkwardly quiet minutes he walked around and stood in front of me. I looked up into his eyes and saw that they were the same icy blue eyes he's always had, identical to the sleeping boy's on my shoulder.

"I'm sorry Ozzie," he said, looking into my eyes. I could tell he was looking for a hint as to how I was going to react to seeing him for the first time in 3 years. I calmly walked past him and lay Malaki down in the last row of the church pews. I turned around and he had turned around to follow me, a nervous look on his face. I almost immediately burst into tears and ran to him. I jumped into his open, waiting arms and threw mine around his neck. I sobbed into his neck, soaking his shirt as all the feelings I had for him came rushing back full force. It felt like I had been punched in the stomach.

He just held me, rubbing the back of my head telling me it was ok and that he was back now and that he wasn't going to leave again for anything. That he loved me even more than he had before he left and that he didn't care that I had a kid by someone else. That was when I released him and backed up. I wiped my eyes and tried to slow down my crying enough to where I could form words he could understand. "He's yours Daryl," I finally managed to cry out. I started sobbing all over again.

"Wait a minute. What? He's mine? How? Why dint ya tell me?! How could ya keep somethin like that from me? I woulda stayed! I woulda been there for muh boy! And for you! I woulda married ya girl! We woulda been a family!" Daryl was practically shouting at me by the end of his rant. It was my turn now. "How could _you_ leave _me_ in the first place?! I didn't know I was pregnant until 2 months after you left! You left me! You were my first everything and you left me! I thought I was dying inside! I didn't understand! I knew yer daddy threatened ta kill us but I didn't think you would take him seriously! I don't understand why you didn't come back or call or anything!" By the end of my little rant I was back to sobbing.

"I left cos of muh daddy's threat. I dint come back cos I felt like ya were better off without me. Ya deserved better than me. Ya were in college, makin somthin a yerself, ya dint need me holdin ya back. Ya were better off without me! But if I woulda known ya was pregnant with muh baby I woulda come back, honest. I woulda never knowinly made ya raise im by yerself. I loved ya more than life itself Ozzy, I still do." Daryl had tears in his eyes now. Which only fueled mine. "Daryl James Dixon I loved you more than life itself. And you left me! I can't do this right now. I have to go." I hurried over and scooped up Malaki and rushed past Daryl and out the church doors.

**FB appreciated as always :)**


	7. Unfaithful

I didn't have to turn around to know that Daryl was hot on my heels. He caught my arm and turned me around just as I reached my car. "Slow down Osten. Can't we go somewhere and talk about this? Not to mention I want to meet my son." He released my arm and ran a strong hand through his hair. "Cut me some slack here Ozzy, I didn't know about him. I don't even know where to start to try and make things right."

I turned and opened the rear door to my Jeep Patriot and put Malaki into his car seat. I was thankful he was somehow still asleep. When I had finished strapping him in I turned to face Daryl. "Daryl I…." My words were lost as his mouth found mine. I was momentarily stunned and kissed him back. I wrapped my arms around his neck and opened my mouth enough to allow his tongue entrance. I didn't want to stop kissing him for anything in the world until my mind flashed to Shane.

I pulled away from Daryl and he looked at me questioningly. "Daryl I can't do this. I have a boyfriend. He doesn't deserve this." I took a step back from him, shaking my head. "I'm sorry Ozzy, I didn't know. But, I still wanna be in muh boy's life." He shifted his feet nervously, squinting at me in the harsh afternoon sunlight. "Daryl I need time to process all this. I'm not going to keep you from him, I promise. But he's young and this isn't something we should just throw him into. We need to ease him into this situation.

"Ok, I can respect that. I don wanna scare him or anythin. I wanna be a good daddy, Ozzy, even though I fucked everythin up between us." I nodded, taking my phone out of my jeans pocket. "Give me yer number so I can call ya to set something up. We need to have a long, serious discussion before I introduce you to Malaki. There's a lot you need to know." He took out his own cell phone and we exchanged phone numbers. I gave him one last hug and a quick peck on the cheek before I got in my car and left the church. He stood there watching us leave, until I couldn't see him anymore.

I went straight home and fixed Malaki a snack because he had woken up from his nap complaining he was hungry. When he was squared away in his high chair watching Mickey House Clubhouse and eating his peanut butter and jelly sandwich and carrot sticks, I picked up the phone and speed-dialed Shane. He picked up on the second ring.

"Hello?" He never answered the phone that way, it was always 'Hey beautiful' or 'What's up Oz?' I pushed the thought to the back of my mind, there were more important issues than how my boyfriend answered his phone. "Hey hunny, hows yer day been?" I asked, heading into the kitchen where I could still see Malaki, but he wouldn't overhear me. "It's been alright. How was the funeral? Was Daryl there?" His voice almost sounded accusing, but I ignored it. "Oh Shane, it went better than I thought it would, for the most part, till Daryl showed up. I lost it. I'm so glad Malaki was nappin the whole time cos I really made a scene."

I waited to hear his reaction but he was quiet, obviously waiting for me to continue. I summed up everything that was said, leaving out the whole kissing ordeal. I didn't want him to flip out. When I had finished telling my story he was quiet for a while. "Is there anything else you want to tell me Osten?" He rarely called me Osten. His voice sounded strange, distant almost. "No hunny, thas all."

He finished the conversation by asking me if I would ask Amy or Lori if they would keep Malaki overnight so I could stay with him again. "I have a better idea, he hasn't been to my parents' house in about a month or so, I'll ask them if they want to keep him for a few days till I can get this whole Daryl thing straightened out. I'm sure they'd love to." Shane agreed that was a good plan and when I hung up with him I called my parents.

After I explained (almost) everything to my parents they agreed to keep Malaki for me for a few nights or so until I had everything taken care of. I texted Shane and let him know I would be coming to his house this evening when he got off duty. He replied back with a simple 'Ok'. Once again, out of character for him. But, with the whole 'father-of-my-child coming home after 3 years' thing, I just didn't even really pay attention.

After about an hour's worth of deliberation I called work and let them know I needed a few personal days off. I rarely missed work so they didn't have a problem with it. Then I texted Daryl and asked him if he would like to have dinner tomorrow evening. He asked if we could do lunch and I told him I already had plans with Shane. Which wasn't entirely true, but I had to build my nerves to see him again. He agreed to meet me at 6pm at a quiet diner called Domino's that he used to take me to all the time before he had left.

Now that that was all settled I went and packed up 4 days' worth of clothing for Malaki. I then packed a few days' worth for myself. I planned on staying at Shane's. "Malaki, how does spending a few nights with gramma Lucy and granpa Joe sound?" I asked my son when I was finished packing our things. "Yay momma! I feel wike I habent saw dem in fereber!" He ran and threw his small arms around my legs. I bent down and scooped him up, "Alright bubs, we'll leave here in a few hours, how does that sound?" "Otay momma, I'm gonna go pway wiff my wegos!"

I was pulling out of my parents' driveway 3 hours and 15 minutes later. I headed to Shane's house even though I knew he would still be at work, I had a key to his house. When I pulled into his driveway I noticed his own Jeep was parked in his open garage. _Weird, he's not even due off for another 2 hours,_ I thought. I parked my car and as I was opening the back of the SUV Shane came out and grabbed my suitcase.

"Thanks hunny," I said, giving him a hello kiss, which he pulled away from all too quickly. There was a slight taste of alcohol. I shook it off and followed him inside. "What would you like for dinner, Shane?" I asked after he had deposited my suitcase in his upstairs bedroom. "I ordered in Osten, Chinese ok?" he asked. "I thought I was going to cook like I usually do when we stay in, but yeah, Chinese is fine." _What is his issue?_ I thought.

After the dinner had arrived and we had both had our fill I was fed up with the silence. "What's wrong Shane? Yer bein uncharacteristically quiet." I got up and threw the empty Chinese containers in the trash can and he wrapped his arms around me from behind. "Nothing's wrong Osten, I just figured you had a lot on your mind and you'd talk about it when you felt like it. If I seem on edge it's only because my beautiful girlfriend's ex-boyfriend and first love popped back into her life today. Sorry that makes me uneasy." I could nearly see the sarcasm dripping off his last couple of sentences.

I was in no mood for a fight so I ignored it. _He'd_ tell _me_ what _his_ problem was when _he_ felt like it. I walked away from him with a huff and situated myself on his couch in front of his huge flat screen. "So what're we watchin?" He didn't answer me as he grabbed the remotes and sat down beside me on the comfy leather couch. "Are you sure nothing else happened at the funeral today, Osten?" I turned and looked at him, a look of what I hoped to be pure confusion on my face. "No, Shane, nothing else happened, what are you gettin at?" He actually _rolled his eyes_. He turned back toward the television as he pushed play.

Unfaithful, that is the movie he had chosen for us to watch. _Really?_ It was almost as if he was _trying_ to get me to admit to something. It was my turn to roll my eyes and we watched the movie, in silence. When it was over I got up and went upstairs to get ready for bed as he locked doors and turned off lights. I was already lying in bed when he entered the room and gave me a look of what I can only describe as disgust as he undressed himself and then climbed into bed next to me.

**Reviews appreciated :)**


	8. Do NOT Call Me Ozzy

**WARNING: THIS CHAPTER CONTAINS A GRAPHIC RAPE SCENE. IF YOU WANT TO SKIP IT AND NOT READ IT THAT IS FINE. STORY WILL STILL MAKE SENSE WITHOUT IT. **

"I'm giving you one more chance, Osten. Are you positive there is nothing you want to add about anything that happened at the funeral?" _What the fuck is his problem?_ I thought. I damn sure wasn't telling him Daryl kissed me, especially since I kissed him back. I pushed him away and I had no intentions of kissing him again. I definitely wasn't admitting to anything since he couldn't _prove_ anything. I didn't see a need to make unnecessary waves. "I don't know what sort of an answer yer lookin for to that question, but no, nothing else happened. Can we juss not talk bout today right now, please? I'm exhausted. Goodnight, love."

I leaned over with the intention of giving him a quick goodnight kiss. He quickly deepened the kiss and entangled his hand in my hair, and nudged his leg between mine. He reeked of alcohol, I don't know how I didn't smell it sooner. "Shane, stop, I said I'm exhausted and to be honest I'm really not in the mood," I told him as I struggled to untangle myself from him. "Maybe I should just go home for tanight, ya really don't seem like yerself hunny." Shane just giggled, in a low, mean way. "Now why would I let you leave? So you can run to that redneck's house and fuck him instead?" Now I knew something was really wrong.

"Shane! How dare you speak to me that way! And why would you think I would do something like that? I love you!" I tried to get out of the bed, Shane just pulled me back down. My back was to his front. I could feel his length throbbing into my lower back. "I saw you kissing that redneck piece of trash, you filthy whore," he whispered into my hair. I tried to pull away, but to no avail. "How the fuck would ya know that unless ya were spyin on me!" I asked as I continued to struggle. "I was there, Osten, watching you. I knew I shouldn't trust you the moment you said you were going to that funeral." His tone was downright scary.

"If you were watchin then ya woulda seen me push him away! I love you Shane! You! I wouldn throw away us for him! How could ya possibly think I would? What Daryl and me had was in the past! He juss wants to be a father to our son, nothing more!" I was still trying to get away, then before I knew it he handcuffed my right wrist to a bar in his headboard. "Shane what the fuck? You're really scarin me! Uncuff me right now!" He maneuvered himself to where he was straddling me. "No, Osten, you're mine and I'm not going to let you leave me!"

He slammed his mouth onto mine; I could taste copper in my mouth as he pulled away. He tore my nightgown down the middle and threw it to the floor. This left me I only my underwear. I was sobbing, begging him to just let me go, to think of Malaki. "Why should I think of him? He isn't mine! You've managed to make that pretty clear today. Apparently it doesn't matter that I'm the one who has been his father figure his whole life. His good-for-nothing daddy comes into the picture and you're all about letting him in his life! What kind of a father do you really think that backwoodsman could be anyway?" He slapped me.

I spit in his face. He hit me again and tore my underwear off of me roughly. "I wasn't going to cut you out of Malaki's life juss cos Daryl's here. That little boy loves you Shane! But if you don't let me go right now, I'll make sure ya never see him again!" He hit me again and then got off of me. I breathed a sigh of relief until I realized what he was doing. He stood beside the bed and removed his sleep pants, followed by his boxers. "No! Shane please! Just uncuff me and I'll leave. I'll forget all bout this, ya can sober up and apologize tomorrow and I'll pretend like nothin happened! Please don't do this! Shane! Please! No!"

My pleas went unanswered. He climbed between my legs, I cried out in pain and he hit me again. I just layed there and went limp. I stopped struggling, all I did was lay there and cry until he finished grunting over top of me. Every once in a while he would slap me, causing me to cry out. It felt like an eternity until he crawled off of me and went to the bathroom.

I looked to my left and I saw that my cell phone was lying on the bedside table. I leaned toward it but it was about 2 inches out of my reach because of my other hand being cuffed to the headboard. I knew it was my only chance to get help, I had no idea whether Shane would actually kill me or not. I couldn't believe he had done what he had just done. I strained against the handcuff, reaching for my phone. I could feel it cutting into my wrist but I only had about a ½ inch to go. With a deep breath I pulled even harder and I grabbed my phone. I could feel blood running down my arm.

I didn't know how long I had until Shane came back so I called the first person I thought of, I had no idea why it was him, but I called Daryl. Thank God he answered on the first ring. "Osten?" he asked. "Oh God, Daryl, listen, I don't have a lot of time. I need you to go get Rick, he should be at home. You remember where Lori lives right?" I was whispering so quietly I had no idea if he could even hear me. "Yeah, I do Ozzy, whas wrong girl? Are you alright?" His voice was pure panic. "No, Daryl, I'm not, go get Rick and come to Shane's. He knows where it is. Hurry Daryl! I don't know how long I have. And tell Rick to bring a handcuff key." I hung up and turned my phone off.

I hoped he understood how important it was that he hurried. I turned my phone off in case he or Rick tried to call me. I threw my phone across the room in the direction of my suitcase, praying Shane didn't hear me on the phone. Not even 30 seconds later Shane emerged from the bathroom and crossed the room. He climbed in the bed with me and uncuffed the handcuff connected to the headboard. He ran it behind the rail and brought my left hand up and cuffed it. Now I had no use of either of my hands.

I lay there sobbing, trying my best to turn away from the monster lying next to me. "I'm sorry, Ozzie, I don't know what came over me." He tried to pull me towards him but I fought him as much as I could. He managed to roll me over, he adjusted his position so he was facing me. "Ozzie…." I spit in his face. "Do NOT call me Ozzie, there is only one man in the world allowed to call me that, and it is not you." He slapped me again.

I rolled me over onto my chest, which caused my arms to be bent in a very uncomfortable way. I felt him move around behind me and he yanked my hips up off the bed. "You're never going to see him or your son again, Osten! You fucked over the wrong man. No one is going to save you. When I'm finished getting what I want from you I'm going to make it look like you killed yourself. After I force you to write a note saying you did it because of that white trash piece of filth. I'll also make sure it says something about how you want me to have full custody of Malaki. It may not hold up in court, but it's worth a shot."

He resumed his assault when he was finished speaking. As horrible as it sounds all I could do was pray he kept at it until Rick got there. If he was raping me, he wasn't killing me. I tried my best to block him out. I thought of what life would have been like if Daryl never would have left. How happy our family would be, probably living out in the country somewhere in a big house on a farm. Just as I was thinking about the one person I couldn't wait to see when I hopefully got to heaven, Shane's bedroom door busted open. I couldn't see, but I heard someone cock a gun.

**Sorry to all those Shane lovers out there. Reviews appreciated.**


	9. No, Not Tonight

**A/N: I haven't had internet in almost a week so I could only update when I was visting my parents. But guess what! My internet got fixed today! Oh happy day! I was starting to have withdrawals. lol. **

"Get the fuck offa her asshole!" It was Daryl. "Shane, I'm not sure exactly what is goin on here, but you need to get off the bed and put your hands up." That was Rick. Relief spread through me as Shane climbed off the bed. "Put some pants on Shane. Then we can discuss what is going on. Osten, is it ok if I give the keys to Daryl to uncuff you? I'm gonna take Shane down stairs." I was still crying and I rolled over on to my back to see Shane standing next to the bed, his hands in the air, Rick and Daryl were both staring intently at him. Rick was over by the door and Daryl was standing on the opposite side of the bed from Shane. "Ok," was the only answer I could choke out between my sobs.

Rick tossed the keys to Daryl. "Come on Shane, downstairs, now. Keep your hands where I can see em. It's gonna be ok, Osten, I got him." Rick respectfully didn't look my way when he spoke to me. When Rick and Shane were out of the room and the door was shut Daryl kneeled on the side of the bed and reached toward my cuffed wrists. I managed to get my sobbing under control. "S ok to look at me, Daryl. I trust ya." He looked into my face as he unlocked the handcuffs. Unless I was mistaken, there were silent, angry tears pooling in his eyes. I knew he would never let them fall, he wiped his eyes and cleared his throat.

"I'm sorry I didn get here sooner Ozzie, I left the house as soon as ya hung up. I tried calling ya back but yer phone was off. I thought the worst. That Shane guy is well, was, your boyfriend, right?" He had freed my hands and I sat up quickly and wrapped my arms around his neck. He stiffened under my touch, probably because I was still very naked. I didn't care though. He and Rick had probably saved my life. "Hold me Daryl, please." I started crying again, although silently.

Hesitantly, he wrapped his strong arms around me. I had never felt more comfortable and safe than I did in his arms. "Yeah, he was my boyfriend." I told Daryl everything Shane had said, I didn't go into detail as to what he did, that was all too obvious. "He's crazy, Ozzy, he needs to be locked up." I looked up at him and I could tell it was taking most of his will power to not go downstairs and beat Shane to death. "No, I don't wanna press charges, as long as he promises to stay away from us."

"Ya can't be serious Osten. What makes ya think he'll stay away?" I scooted toward the edge of the bed and slid off, trying to ignore the throbbing between my legs. "Shane is nothing if not proud. If I press charges on him, he'll lose his job, his good standing, everything. He'll stay away for no other reason than to keep this under wraps. And to be completely honest," I wrapped the sweat and tear stained blanket around the front of my body, my back still exposed. "I don't want anyone to know. It's embarrassing. He's really drunk, I don't even know if he realizes what he's done."

"Don't make excuses for him Osten. He's obviously unstable. But, if ya don't wanna press charges, even though I really don't agree with yer decision, I spose I'll respect it." I turned away from him to get something to put on, forgetting about my exposed back and the tattoo I wasn't ready to explain. After I had thrown on a pair of sweat pants and a t-shirt I turned around and faced him. He had a puzzled look on his face, but he didn't say anything. "I'm ready to go downstairs." I walked toward the door, but stopped when I realized Daryl wasn't behind me. I turned around and saw him pick up my cell phone and zip up my suitcase. He picked it up and walked toward me.

"Dint think ya wanted ta leave yer stuff here. I'll carry it down ta yer car fer ya." He walked past me and I followed him down the stairs. I found Rick and Shane in the kitchen, Shane was sporting a blackening eye. I loved my brother in law, he's the best. I walked over and sat down across the table from Shane, to the left of Rick. "So, Osten, what do you wanna do? I can go ahead and take him down to the station if ya want," Rick offered. "No, I don't wanna press charges." Shane's head shot up and he looked at me surprised. "Are you sure, Osten, what happened here tonight is a serious offense, I don't know if I can let it slide." I turned my body toward Rick and explained to him what I had told Daryl, who had returned from putting my things in my Jeep.

"I don't agree with her either, but what can we do? It happened to her, not us," Daryl said to Rick. "But like I said, this is a very serious offense, what kind of a cop would I be if I let him get away with this? And you're my sister!" I put my hand on Rick's arm as he held his head in his hands. "Exactly Rick, I'm your sister, please do this for me, I don't want to be the talk of the town. People have juss now stopped talking bout Izaya. I juss wanna forget this ever happened and never see this monster again." I was surprised that Shane hadn't said a word. It was probably because he knew I had his fate in my hands, he didn't want to piss me off any further.

"Shane, ya need to take a vacation from work and get yer shit together. I wish I could tell ya to leave the city, but I'm not as cold-hearted as you. I never wanna see ya round my house again. If ya see me comin in the store or at the mall or anywhere, _you_ turn around and go the other direction. Don't ever speak or even look at me again or I'll come forward with what happened here tonight. And if I ever see or hear or hear about ya talkin to or even looking at our son," I gestured toward Daryl. "I will kill you! That is not a threat, it's a promise. I can guarantee ya my brother will look the other way on that one, best friends or not. What you've done here tonight will haunt not juss me, but you too, for the rest of both our lives. The only difference is, yer the guilty one, yer the monster."

I got up and left the room. I just couldn't look at him anymore. Daryl followed me out to my Jeep. "I'll drive ya home, my bikes at yer sister's, I can walk there from yer house ta get it. Ya don't need ta be drivin." I don't know why, but I had this overwhelmingly strong urge to be around Daryl, I didn't want him to leave me, ever. I stepped up to him and threw my arms around him. "Will ya stay with me tonight? Please? Malaki's at my parents' house. He'll be there fer a couple more days. Just please come and keep me company, Amy is house sitting for Andrea fer the next week and I juss don't wanna be alone. There's even an extra bedroom fer ya ta sleep in."

"Aight Ozzy, I'll stay wit ya, but only if ya promise ta tell me bout that tattoo on yer back." So he had seen it, all well, he deserves to know anyway. But I was so not up for that conversation tonight. I promised to tell him all about it tomorrow and he drove us to my house after telling Rick goodbye and thank you. I gave him directions to my house and as we pulled in the driveway he told me how huge and beautiful it was. He followed me in through the front door and as soon as he shut and locked it behind him I turned and literally threw myself on him.

I don't know exactly why, but the only thing that had kept me from jumping his bones after the funeral, besides our sleeping child in the car, was Shane. I hadn't wanted to hurt him. I never thought he would hurt me, how wrong was I? I pressed my lips to Daryl's and after a couple of seconds, he kissed me back. He picked me up by my tender waist and walked toward my giant comfy couch. He turned and sat down so that I was straddling him. He pulled back, away from the kiss and looked into my eyes. "I don't wanna do this tonight Ozzy, and if ya really think bout it, neither do you." He was right. I leaned toward him and buried my face into his neck. I started crying again.

"How bout ya go and take a nice warm bath. I bet it'll make ya feel a little better." I stood up and took him by the hand. He followed me through my bedroom and into my attached bathroom. I had a huge Jacuzzi tub, Amy had one too though, so it was fair. I let go of his hand and shut the door behind him. He was watching me intently. I walked over and started the water. Then I walked over to one of the double sinks and looked at myself in the giant mirror that nearly covered the length of the wall. As I was inspecting the damage to my face, Daryl came and stood beside me, also taking in my appearance.

It wasn't too bad, my bottom was split in the middle, and I had 2 bruises, one on each side of my face. The left was just under my eye, the right was along my jaw. They weren't too big and were already fading, if I stayed in the house for the next 2 days, they would probably be gone. As far as my swollen lip went, I would tell people I opened a door into it or something. I wasn't very graceful and this story was believable.

I turned toward Daryl and ran my hands up his strong arms. I then reached down and pulled his shirt up. I couldn't lift it all the way over his head, I was too short, I was only 5'3 and he was damn near 6'. He finished taking his off and then reached down and removed mine. I reached over and undid his belt and the button and zipper on his pants. I pulled them down and then his boxers. He stepped out of them and then removed my sweat pants. I turned around and turned off the water in the now full tub. I pushed the button to turn on the jets and turned back toward Daryl to take in the view. It was obvious he was doing the same as his eyes traveled up and down my body.

He hadn't changes a whole lot in 3 years. He looked only a little older, his body was more muscly and toned. His chest was also a little hairier. I giggled internally, remembering how much I used to tease him about it, although I secretly loved running my fingers through it. I think he knew that though, because he never shaved it off. I wondered what he was thinking as he looked at me. I don't think I had changed a whole lot either.

I was only 25, but I had become a mother. That really takes a toll on your body, but I had worked my ass off, literally, after I gave birth to return to my pre-baby weight. Between exercise, eating right, and breast feeding for 9 months, (I stopped after Malaki had started biting with his new teeth) I had not only gotten down to pre-baby weight, but I had also lost 20 more pounds. I was now a healthy, flat-bellied, 115. The only real change that had taken place was my boobs. Before Daryl left, I was barely a C. After my pregnancy and breast-feeding, I was a large D.

I happened to glance down and noticed that he must like what he saw, because he was hard as a rock. However, I wasn't going to be childish and call him out on it. He knew I saw, but didn't care. He knew we weren't going to get intimate either, and we were both ok with that. I just wanted to feel his body up against mine already, so I took his hand and climbed into the tub, he followed and sat behind me.

I went to lean back against him but he put a hand in the middle of my upper back and stopped me. I knew he was looking at the tattoos. I felt him brush his hand across both of them, though he lingered on the one on my right shoulder blade. I sighed. I had to tell him. Honestly I had already cried so much that night, what was a few more tears going to hurt? I turned myself around in the large tub and I scooted myself closer to him. I positioned myself onto his lap and wrapped my legs around him. I needed a whole lot of support and skin-to-skin contact to tell the man I loved this heartbreaking story.

"Daryl…." He silenced me with a gentle kiss on my lips. "No, not to tonight. Let's juss get ya cleaned up and in ta bed." I nodded. However, I still planned on telling him that night, before I lost my nerve. He needed to hear it from me, not anyone else. I allowed him to wash my body, I helped with my long hair. I then returned the favor and washed him. It was so intimate and sexual, but at the same time, it wasn't. It was perfect, that is what it was. We were perfect for each other, we always had been. I knew as he was drying my body off and helping me into my nightgown that I had forgiven him for leaving me, for leaving us. He had only done what he had felt was right, just as I had tonight.

**There ya go, the next one's a tear-jerker, just a warning. Reviews appreciated :)**


	10. I Don't Deserve Ya Osten, I Really Don't

**Shout to Alva Starr and Maddy-MarieXO for being faithful readers and reviewing! Sorry it has taken me so long to update, since my internet got back up and running I was busy catching up on all my fave stories that I read. I will post as many chapters as I can today. It might take a while though, because I've caught up with everything I have had pre-written.**

When we had gotten comfortable in my king-sized bed with a movie playing on the television, I began my heartbreaking story. "Daryl, I wanna tell ya bout the tattoos." The tattoo on my left shoulder blade Malaki's left footprint from when he was born. Across the top it said 'Malaki'. Across the bottom was the date '01/18/2011'. The tattoo on my right shoulder blade was a similar right footprint. Across the top it said 'Izaya'. Across the bottom were the dates '01/18/2011 – 01/28/2011'. "I don't really know where ta start so I'll start from the beginning." I took a deep breath.

"I found out I was pregnant about two months after you left. When I had my first ultrasound, they told me I was having twins. Based on my last period, we had conceived sometime in mid-June, right before you left. My due date was March 25th. I had a healthy pregnancy, no complications or anything. I had only gained a little bit of weight, but I was huge! I ended up going into labor at 31 weeks. Early labor is common with twins, especially for someone as small as I was. My doctor had told me there was a very slim chance I would even be physically able to carry them full term. But, 31 weeks was too early for comfort."

I paused and Daryl nodded for me to go on. "Malaki was born first at 3:06am, I named him Malaki Daryl Dixon. He weighed 3 pounds 6 ounces and was 16 inches long. Izaya was born 6 minutes later at 3:12am, I named him Izaya James Dixon. He weighed 2 pounds 10 ounces and was 15 inches long. They were both so tiny and perfect. See, when Malaki was born he started cryin right away, he had really strong lungs for bein so early. When Izaya was born he wasn't cryin."

I paused to wipe away a few tears. Daryl wrapped his arms around me even tighter. "They took him away immediately to the NICU. He was still alive, but he couldn't breathe on his own. He had to be hooked up to all these machines that breathed for him and fed him. I was able to hold Malaki when he was 2 days old. He was really strong. When the boys were 3 days old the doctor told me that the reason Izaya couldn't breathe on his own was because his lungs were only partially developed, his heart wasn't fully formed either. Apparently, when they were in the womb, Malaki had somehow gotten most of the nourishment."

I paused to collect my thoughts and wipe away some more tears. "After 6 days of Izaya bein on all those machines he hadn't gotten any better. His condition had gotten worse. The doctors said even with the machines he probably only had less than a week to live. That it was only the machines keeping him alive at this point. It crushed me. I spent every waking moment with him for the next 3 days before I decided this was not the life I wanted for my son, for our son. I didn't want him to live on machines for however long he had. The next day, 10 days after he was born, I held our son in my arms as the machine took his last breath for him and his heart beat its last beat."

I turned to look at Daryl and silent tears were running down his face. "Oh God Daryl! I'm sorry! I only did what I thought was best. I didn't want our baby to suffer anymore! I'm sorry, I'm so sorry!" I buried myself in him. "It's alright Ozzy, I'm sorry, ya shouldna had ta go through that on yer own. I shoulda been there, I should never have left ya. Yer an amazingly strong woman, Ozzy. Izaya was lucky to have ya as a momma, so is Malaki. I don't deserve ya Osten, I really don't." With that he held me tighter than I thought was possible and gave me a kiss on my head. "I love ya Osten Shultz." I gave him a gentle kiss on his lips. "I love you too, Daryl Dixon. I buried myself back into his chest and sleep overtook both of us shortly after.

Despite the horrible things that had taken place, that was one of the best nights of sleep I had had in a long time. I couldn't believe how easily I had already fit Daryl back into my life, how much I already loved him again. It was as if I had never stopped, and I guess I never really had. I woke up before him the next day and got to work on breakfast. I made his favorite, bacon, eggs, and fried potatoes. Just as I had finished making the plates and pouring the coffee he emerged from my bedroom.

"That smells amazing, Ozzy!" He sat down in front of his plate at the breakfast bar and took a sip from his coffee. "You even remembered how I take muh coffee." He smiled one of his rare smiles. "Black, with 2 sugars. I still don't understand how ya can drink it like that, ugh." He smirked. "Not everyone drowns out the coffee flavor with half a cup of milk and 16 sugars, Osten. Some people actually enjoy the taste of coffee." I walked over and playfully punched him in the arm, then took my seat next to him. We enjoyed our breakfast in silence.

After I had finished loading the dishwasher, with Daryl's help, we settled down on the couch again. "Reckon I oughta go get muh bike from yer sister's place. Head down ta muh paw's place and see if I can make it livable." I didn't want him to leave, I didn't want him to leave ever again. But if I wanted him to move in, if he would even consider that, I had to discuss it with Amy first. This was her home as well after all. I also needed to see how Malaki took to having his daddy around. "I'll drive ya ta Lori's. Then maybe we could go out for lunch later?" He nodded. "Sounds good ta me."

I gave him a quick peck on the lips and a long, tight hug when I dropped him off at Lori's. As I backed out of her driveway I pulled out my phone and speed-dialed Amy. "Hey Oz, wassup?" I smiled as I turned onto the highway that would take me to Andrea's house. "What are ya up to Ames? Wanna meet me at Starbucks?" I couldn't wait to ask her. There was almost nothing in this world I wanted more than to go to bed next to Daryl every night. "Sure Oz, is something wrong?" I shook my head, even though she couldn't see me. "No, Ames, with the exception of a few things, everythin is perfect. I'll be at the one on Oxford Way in bout 15 minutes. Love ya!" I hung up the phone and continued toward my destination.

Amy was already there as I pulled into the parking lot and I saw her standing by her car as I parked my Jeep. I walked up to her and gave her the biggest hug I think I had ever given her. She gave me a puzzled look as we filed into the coffee place. We made small talk as we waited for our coffees. When we got them we went back out the doors so we could sit on the patio. "So, Oz, I can tell you have big news, what's goin on? Shane pop the question? Although, I don't see a ring. And what happened to your face? Nother wall jump in front of ya?" She picked up my left hand to inspect it further, dropping it after she didn't find what she was looking for. After a few seconds she kind of jumped like she realized something important. "You went to that funeral yesterday! Daryl was there wasn't he!"

"Yes, Amy, actually he was there. And as far as Shane goes, he and I are through. For good this time, and I really don't want to go into details. Please, don't push this either, maybe eventually I can tell you, but right now it's too fresh, I don't wanna relive it so soon." Tears had welled up in my eyes and I tried to wipe them away before she could see. Too late, Amy jumped up and came around to sit beside me on the bench and put her arm around my shoulders. "Oh Osten, did he hurt you? Like physically?" She immediately went into like an attack mode, looking all around us, as if Shane was going to jump out of the bushes and attack us.

"I'll fuckin kill im Osten! I swear I will, I never did fully trust him, cop or not. He juss always had this crazy man air bout im." A traitorous tear escaped my eye as I turned to face her. "I said I don't wanna talk bout it Ames, I'm fine, at least I will be. I'll spare you the details, but yeah, he hurt me, mentally and physically. My face? He did it. But once I come to grips with what happened, I'll explain everythin, I promise. It juss feels like a dream ya know?" I wrapped my arms around her and buried my face in her neck.

"Ok Oz, you tell me when yer ready. Juss know I'm here for ya, forever and always chick! An I'll try not ta go and beat the shit outta Shane before you get round ta fillin me in." She pushed my away from her, gently, and wiped my tears off of my face. "Now, you said on the phone nearly everythin was perfect, so whats up with that? Is it bout Daryl?" Her eyes lit up as she saw my frown turn itself right upside down. "Yeah, he's back in town. An he's stayin, for good!" Amy squealed and sort of bounced in her seat. "So is that why you and Shane broke up? I mean, sorry, I'll try not ta bring that up again." She gave me an apologetic look.

"It's ok, Ames. But yeah, that is one of the main reasons me and Shane broke up. But the thing is, I wasn't pannin on pursuin anythin with Daryl. Shane didn't believe me, obviously. But after everythin that happened lass night, Daryl ended up stayin the night with me." Amy gave me a knowing look. "You guys fucked, didn't you! I can't believe you broke up with Shane and got a new boyfriend all in one night! Oh Oz, I told you Daryl was your soul mate! I've always said that, since we were like 17! Yer gonna spend the rest of yer life with im, ya know that right? Did you tell him bout Malaki? What bout Izaya? Oh Osten, I'm so happy for you!"

I waited patiently for her to take a breath so I could try and explain this whole complicated scenario. "First of all, no Ames, we didn't, as you so graciously put it, fuck lass night. We did, however, cuddle all night. Oh Amy, it was the best sleep I've had since he left 3 years ago. It juss felt so right, it was like he never left! Like we juss picked up where we left off. Yes, he knows bout both Malaki and Izaya. He's stoked that he has a son. And he was heart-broken over Izaya. We're gonna have lunch today and discuss introducing him to Malaki. Oh Amy, is it wrong that I'm completely ok actin like he never even left? i juss wanna like, I dunno, marry him or somethin! I'm so happy that he's back Amy, like happier than I have been in the lass 3 years. Am I a horrible person?"

Amy gave me one of her biggest, supportive smiles and a hug to match. "Look, Osten, you have to do what makes you and Malaki happy. The way I see it, as long as Malaki takes to him, I'm all for yall pickin up where ya left off. I don't know bout you, but as corny as it sounds, it's like I said Oz, yall are soul mates. You always have been. It's like destiny that after 3 damn years he shows up and ya juss go right back to im. And the fact that he didn't freak out bout Malaki and Izaya says a lot for im. I'm happy for ya chick. I wish my soul mate would hurry up and make his appearance, I ain't gettin any younger."

We giggled and after assuring her that her soul mate was out there I decided it was time to get down to the real reason I was there. It was almost 1:00pm and I figured lunch time was just about over. "Listen, Amy, the main reason I wanted to meet ya here was to ask you a very serious question, well favor, oh hell I don't know what to call it. But, if everythin goes ok between Malaki and Daryl, how would ya feel bout me askin Daryl to move in with us?" I took a deep breath and waited for her response.

"Osten, didn't I already express myself on the whole you and Daryl thing? I'm ecstatic for ya. Of course I don't mind. And if I know my nephew like I think I do, he's gonna be super excited to meet his daddy. He's gonna love im Oz, I juss know it." I stood and Amy followed suit. I gave her a hug and thanked her profusely. We said our goodbyes and went our separate ways. I pulled out my cell phone and called Daryl on my way back to town. We agreed to meet at the diner, Domino's in 20 minutes.

**Reviews appreciated :)**


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